How far did the First World War transform key areas of social and economic life in Britain?

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PART B

How far did the First World War transform key areas of social and economic life in Britain?

As well as the high death toll Britain had economic and social problems. Economic changes due to the First World War helped diminish the role of Britain in international trade. Britain also begun to grow heavily in debt, due to the payments of the war. To help pay these debts Britain sold off foreign assets and borrowed heavily both at home and abroad. The increased size of national debt had an inflationary effect in Britain. The problems of wartime finance forced Britain off the gold standard, under which the value of the pound had been linked to gold. The distortion of the economy meant that the war stimulated industries such as engineering, chemicals and shipbuilding, which had a direct relevance to the needs of the armed forces, unlike other industries such as textiles. Disruption of the export trade was a problem for Britain during the war as staple industries relied heavily on exporting, but due to the war their old markets such as Russia, the Far East and elsewhere was closed to them. Also former customers who where in need of coal, textiles and steel turned to other new suppliers such as America and Japan. The contraction of trade during the war also reduced the income Britain traditionally derived from shipping.

Yet there were also advantages stemminh from the war. The productivity of Britsh industry incerased rapidly owing to state-sponsered mechanisation. There was a greater standardisation of engineering products, and electric power was being used more int he factories, just as more tractors were working on the land.

To decide whether or not the First World War was a 'Total War' we have to look at the meaning of the expression. Total War is the total engagement of a nation's economic, social, cultural, and political capital in the war. Britain did engage all sides of its capital in the war effort and was successful in its allocation of it. They had to fill posts left by men who had gone to war with women, and every side of life had to relate to the campaign. In my opinion the First World War was a 'Total War' for Britain. It cost them millions of pounds, a great amount of lives were lost and wasted, and gold reserves were shattered in wartime trading. The war also changed the way in which many people lived and entitled people to many new rights, these were mainly for the women of the time.
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As the war had taken so many men away, more jobs became vacant, so women begun to take these new jobs. Women found employment in transport (the rail lines and driving buses and trams), nursing, factories making ammunition, the Women's Royal Air Force where they worked on planes as mechanics, on farms in the Women's Land Army, in shipyards etc. Before 1914, these jobs had been for men only (with the exception of nursing). One of the most important jobs during the war was working in the ammunition factory. This sort of work was very dangerous and as ...

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